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CWEN US Equity

Clearway Energy, Inc.Utilities · Electric Services · CIK 1567683 · FY ends Dec 31
$32.56
-0.08 (-0.25%)
USD · as of 2026-08-21 · marketstack

CWEN · 10-K · period ended 2020-12-31

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filed 2021-03-01 · EDGAR original ↗

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Item 7 — Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and the Results of Operations

As you read this discussion and analysis, refer to the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations to this Form 10-K. Also refer to Item 1 — Business and Item 1A — Risk Factors, which include detailed discussions of various items impacting the Company's business, results of operations and financial condition. Discussions of the year ended December 31, 2018 that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and year-to-year comparisons of the year ended December 31, 2019 and the year ended December 31, 2018 can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and the Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The discussion and analysis below has been organized as follows:

•Executive Summary, including a description of the business and significant events that are important to understanding the results of operations and financial condition;

•Results of operations, including an explanation of significant differences between the periods in the specific line items of the consolidated statements of operations;

•Financial condition addressing liquidity position, sources and uses of cash, capital resources and requirements, commitments, and off-balance sheet arrangements;

•Known trends that may affect the Company’s results of operations and financial condition in the future; and

•Critical accounting policies which are most important to both the portrayal of the Company's financial condition and results of operations, and which require management's most difficult, subjective or complex judgment.

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Executive Summary

Introduction and Overview

Clearway Energy, Inc. together with its consolidated subsidiaries, or the Company, is a publicly-traded energy infrastructure investor in and owner of modern, sustainable and long-term contracted assets across North America. The Company is indirectly owned by Global Infrastructure Partners III. Global Infrastructure Management, LLC is an independent fund manager that invests in infrastructure assets in the energy and transport sectors, and Global Infrastructure Partners III is its third equity fund. The Company is sponsored by GIP through GIP's portfolio company, CEG.

The Company is one of the largest renewable energy owners in the U.S. with over 4,200 net MW of installed wind and solar generation projects. The Company also owns approximately 2,500 net MW of environmentally-sound, highly efficient natural gas-fired generation facilities as well as a portfolio of district energy systems. Through this environmentally-sound, diversified and primarily contracted portfolio, the Company endeavors to provide its investors with stable and growing dividend income.Substantially all of the Company's generation assets are under long-term contractual arrangements for the output or capacity from these assets. The weighted average remaining contract duration of these offtake agreements was approximately 13 years as of December 31, 2020 based on CAFD.

Significant Events

Third Party Acquisitions

•On February 10, 2021, the Company reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Mount Storm Holdings I LLC, or Mt Storm, for approximately $96 million subject to certain purchase price adjustments. Mt Storm is a 264 MW wind project located in Grant County, West Virginia. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

•On February 3, 2021, the Company acquired an additional 35% equity interest in the Agua Caliente solar project from NRG Energy, Inc. for $202 million. Agua Caliente is a 290 MW solar project located in Dateland, Arizona in which Clearway previously owned a 16% equity interest. The project has a 25-year PPA with PG&E, with approximately 19 years remaining under the agreement. Following the close of the transaction, the Company owns a 51% equity interest in Agua Caliente. The Company will remove its equity method investment and consolidate its interest in Agua Caliente from the date of the acquisition.

Drop Down Transactions

•On January 12, 2021, the Company acquired 100% of CEG's equity interest and a third party investor's minority interest in Rattlesnake Flat, LLC, which owns the Rattlesnake Wind Project, a 160 net MW wind facility located in Adams County, WA which achieved commercial operations in January 2021, for $132 million in cash consideration and expects its net capital commitment to be $119 million after proceeds from a state sales and use tax refund which are expected to be received in 2021.

•On December 21, 2020, subsidiaries of the Company entered into the Lighthouse Partnership Agreements providing for the Company’s co-investment in a 1,204 MW portfolio of renewable energy projects developed by CEG. In addition, the agreements included an amendment of the partnership that owns the 419 MW Mesquite Star wind project, providing the Company with additional project cash flows after the first half of 2031. As described below, the Company had previously acquired an interest in Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC, which was subsequently renamed Lighthouse Renewable Holdco LLC. The 1,204 MW portfolio of renewable energy projects includes:

◦Five geographically diversified wind, solar and solar plus storage assets under development totaling 1,012 MW, and

◦The 192 MW Rosamond Central solar project, located in Kern County, California. On December 21, 2020, the Company acquired 100% of the Class A membership interests of Rosie TargetCo LLC, which consolidates its interest in a tax equity fund that owns the project, for approximately $24 million in cash consideration. Rosie TargetCo LLC is a partnership, whose Class B membership interests are owned by a third party investor. The Company is entitled to a 50% cash equity interest in Rosamond Central through its Class A membership interests.

For the above-mentioned transactions, the Company expects to invest an estimated $215 million in corporate capital by the end of 2022, subject to closing adjustments and the projects achieving certain milestones. The expected net corporate capital includes the $24 million already invested in Rosamond Central in 2020 and the purchase price adjustment received concurrent with the partnership agreement amendment for Mesquite Star.

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•On November 20, 2020, the Company acquired from Clearway Renew LLC, a subsidiary of CEG, and a third party investor, 100% of the cash equity interests in Langford Holding LLC, which owns the Langford wind project, for total cash consideration of approximately $64 million. The Langford wind project is a 160 MW wind project located in West Texas which was repowered and achieved commercial operations in November 2020.

•On November 2, 2020, the Company acquired from CEG (i) the Class B membership interests in DGPV Holdco 1, DGPV Holdco 2 and DGPV Holdco 3, or the DGPV Holdco Entities and (ii) an SREC contract for an aggregate of $44 million in cash consideration. In connection with the acquisition of the Class B membership interests, the Company consolidated their interest in the underlying distributed solar tax equity funds within DGPV Holdco 1 and DGPV Holdco 2.The Company had previously consolidated DGPV Holdco 3 effective in May 2020.

•On November 2, 2020, the CEG ROFO Agreement was amended to (i) add the assets comprising the Lighthouse Partnership Agreements from CEG to the ROFO pipeline (ii) memorialize as a ROFO asset the contract related to the monetization of renewable energy credits associated with assets within the DGPV Holdco Entities, which was acquired at the same time; and (iii) extend the third-party negotiation periods for CEG's residual interest in Kawailoa and Oahu assets as well as the assets comprising the cash equity partnership offer from CEG to November 2, 2021.

•On September 1, 2020, the Company, through its indirect subsidiary Mesquite Star HoldCo LLC, acquired the Class A membership interests in Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC from Clearway Renew LLC, a subsidiary of CEG, for $74 million in cash consideration inclusive of a purchase price adjustment received in the fourth quarter of 2020 concurrent with the partnership amendment referenced below. Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC is the primary beneficiary and consolidates its interest in a tax equity fund that owns the Mesquite Star wind project, a 419 MW utility scale wind project located in Fisher County, Texas. A majority of the project’s output is backed by contracts with investment grade counterparties with a 12 year weighted average contract life. As described above, Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC was renamed Lighthouse Renewable Holdco LLC and the Class B membership interests were sold to a third party investor. The investor and the Company amended the terms of the related partnership and as a result, the Company now consolidates its interest in the Mesquite Star wind project, through its consolidation of Lighthouse Renewable Holdco LLC.

•On April 17, 2020, the Company entered into binding agreements related to the previously announced drop down offer from CEG to enable the Company to acquire and invest in a portfolio of renewable energy projects. The following projects are included in the drop down:

◦CEG's interest in Repowering Partnership II LLC (Repowering 1.0), which the Company acquired on May 11, 2020 for cash consideration of $70 million,

◦100% of the equity interests in Rattlesnake Flat, LLC, which owns the Rattlesnake Wind Project, a 160 net MW wind facility located in Adams County, WA which the company acquired on January 12, 2021 as mentioned above, and

◦On February 26, 2021, the Company, through an indirect subsidiary, entered into an amended partnership agreement with CEG to repower the Pinnacle Wind Project, a 55 net MW wind facility located in Mineral County, WV. The amended agreement commits the Company to invest an estimated $67 million in net corporate capital, subject to closing adjustments, and no longer requires an additional payment in 2031. The existing Pinnacle Wind power purchase agreements will continue to run through 2031. Commercial operations and corporate capital funding for the Pinnacle Wind Repowering Partnership are expected to occur in the second half of 2021.

For the above mentioned transactions, the agreements commit the Company to invest an estimated $256 million in net corporate capital, subject to closing adjustments.

Sale of Assets or Investments

•On May 14, 2020, the Company sold its interests in RPV Holdco 1 LLC, or RPV Holdco, to a third party for net proceeds of approximately $75 million. The Company previously accounted for its interest in RPV Holdco as an equity method investment. The sale of the investment resulted in a gain of approximately $49 million.

•On March 3, 2020, the Company through Thermal LLC, sold 100% of its interests in Energy Center Dover and Energy Center Smyrna to DB Energy Assets, LLC for approximately $15 million.

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Corporate-Level Financing

•On May 21, 2020, Clearway Energy Operating LLC completed the sale of an additional $250 million aggregate principal amount of the 2028 Senior Notes. The 2028 Senior Notes bear interest at 4.75% and mature on March 15, 2028. Interest on the 2028 Senior Notes is payable semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year, and interest payments commenced on September 15, 2020. The 2028 Senior Notes are unsecured obligations of Clearway Energy Operating LLC and are guaranteed by Clearway Energy LLC and by certain of Clearway Energy Operating LLC's wholly owned current and future subsidiaries. The proceeds from the additional 2028 Senior Notes were used to repay the $45 million outstanding principal amount of the Company's 2020 Convertible Notes on June 1, 2020, as well as to fund the repayment of outstanding borrowings under the Company's revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes.

Project-Level Financing Activities

•On November 2, 2020, DG-CS Master Borrower LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clearway Energy Operating LLC, entered into a financing arrangement, which included the issuance of a $467 million term loan, as well as $30 million in letters of credit in support of debt service. The notes bear interest at 3.51% and mature on September 30, 2040. The proceeds from the loan were utilized to repay existing project-level debt outstanding for Chestnut Borrower LLC, Renew Solar CS 4 Borrower LLC, DGPV 4 Borrower LLC and Puma Class B LLC of $107 million, $102 million, $92 million and $73 million respectively and unwind related interest rate swaps in the amount of $42 million. The remaining proceeds were utilized to pay related fees and expenses and in part to acquire the Class B membership interests in the DGPV Holdco Entities and an SREC contract from CEG as further described in Item 15 — Note 3, Acquisitions and Dispositions. Concurrent with the refinancing, the projects were transferred under DG-CS Master Borrower LLC and the obligations under the financing arrangement are supported by the Company's interest in the projects. Prior to the acquisition of CEG's Class B membership interests mentioned above, the Company invested approximately $10 million in the DG investment partnerships with CEG during 2020, bringing total capital invested in these investment partnerships to $266 million.

•On September 30, 2020, the Alpine, Blythe and Roadrunner projects were transferred under NIMH Solar LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clearway Energy Operating LLC. Concurrently, total project-level debt outstanding for Alpine, Blythe and Roadrunner of $158 million was assigned to NIMH Solar LLC. The consolidated facility was amended to a term loan for$193 million, as well as $16 million in letters of credit in support of debt service and project obligations. The term loan bears interest at an annual interest rate of LIBOR, plus an applicable margin of 2.00% per annum through the third anniversary of closing, and 2.125% per annum thereafter through the maturity date in September 2024. As a result of the amendment the Company received $35 million and the funds were utilized to pay related fees and expenses and along with existing project level cash provided a distribution to Clearway Energy Operating LLC of $45 million. The obligations under the financing arrangement are supported by the Company’s interests in the projects.

•On September 1, 2020, Utah Solar Holdings, LLC, or Utah Solar, entered into a financing arrangement, which included the issuance of approximately $296 million in senior secured notes supported by the Company’s interest in the Four Brothers, Granite Mountain and Iron Springs projects, or the Utah projects (previously defined as the Utah Solar Portfolio). The notes bear interest at 3.59% per annum and mature on December 31, 2036. The proceeds from the issuance were utilized to repay existing debt outstanding of approximately $247 million for the Utah projects and to unwind the related interest rate swaps in the amount of $33 million. The remaining proceeds were utilized to pay related fees and expenses, with the remaining $9 million distributed to Clearway Energy Operating LLC.

Black Start Services at Marsh Landing

•As of July 2020, all necessary regulatory approvals were obtained with respect to the Company's Marsh Landing project to provide black start capability in the greater San Francisco Bay area, which would restart Marsh Landing in the event of a blackout, under a five-year contract with the California Independent System Operator to support their emergency restoration of the electrical grid. The project has commenced construction activities and is expected to achieve commercial operations in the second quarter of 2021.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company Bankruptcy

•On July 1, 2020, PG&E emerged from bankruptcy and assumed the Company's contracts without modification. In addition, PG&E paid to the Company's applicable projects the portion of the invoices corresponding to the electricity delivered for the period between January 1 and January 28, 2019. These invoices related to the pre-petition period services and any payment therefore required the approval by the Bankruptcy Court. Subsequent to PG&E's

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emergence from bankruptcy the Company entered into waiver agreements with the lenders to the respective financing agreements related to the PG&E Bankruptcy and all previously restricted distributions were paid out of distribution reserve accounts at the Company's subsidiaries affected by the PG&E Bankruptcy.

Environmental Matters and Regulatory Matters

Details of environmental matters and regulatory matters are presented in Item 1 — Business, Regulatory Matters and Item 1A — Risk Factors. Details of some of this information relate to costs that may impact the Company's financial results.

Trends or Matters Affecting Results of Operations and Future Business Performance

Wind and Solar Resource Availability

The availability of the wind and solar resources affects the financial performance of the wind and solar facilities, which may impact the Company’s overall financial performance. Due to the variable nature of the wind and solar resources, the Company cannot predict the availability of the wind and solar resources and the potential variances from expected performance levels from quarter to quarter. To the extent the wind and solar resources are not available at expected levels, it could have a negative impact on the Company’s financial performance for such periods.

Recent Developments Affecting Industry Conditions and the Company’s Business

COVID-19

In response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Company has implemented preventative measures and developed corporate and regional response plans to protect the health and safety of its employees, customers and other business counterparties, while supporting the Company’s suppliers and customers’ operations to the best of its ability in the circumstances. The Company also has modified certain business practices (including discontinuing all non-essential business travel, implementing a temporary work-from-home policy for employees who can execute their work remotely and encouraging employees to adhere to local and regional social distancing, more stringent hygiene and cleaning protocols across the Company’s facilities and operations and self-quarantining recommendations) to support efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and to conform to government restrictions and best practices encouraged by governmental and regulatory authorities. The Company continues to evaluate these measures, response plans and business practices in light of the evolving effects of COVID-19.

There is considerable uncertainty regarding the extent to which COVID-19 will continue to spread and the extent and duration of governmental and other measures implemented to try to slow the spread of the virus, such as large-scale travel bans and restrictions, border closures, quarantines, shelter-in-place orders and business and government shutdowns. Restrictions of this nature may cause the Company, its suppliers and other business counterparties to experience operational delays and delays in the delivery of materials and supplies and may cause milestones or deadlines relating to various projects to be missed.

As of the date of this report, the Company has not experienced any material financial or operational impacts related to COVID-19. All of the Company’s facilities have remained operational. The Company has experienced a decrease in volumetric sales at certain Thermal locations in part due to COVID-19 related impacts which has not resulted in any material financial impacts to the Company. The Company believes that all of its accounts receivable balances as of December 31, 2020 are collectible. The Company will continue to assess collectability based on any future developments.

The Company cannot predict the full impact that COVID-19 will have on the Company’s financial expectations, its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, its ability to make distributions to its stockholders, the market prices of its common stock and its ability to satisfy its debt service obligations at this time, due to numerous uncertainties. The ultimate impacts will depend on future developments, including, among others, the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the consequences of governmental and other measures designed to prevent the spread of the virus, the development of effective treatments, the duration of the outbreak, actions taken by governmental authorities, customers, suppliers and other third parties, workforce availability and the timing and extent to which normal economic and operating conditions resume. For additional discussion regarding risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, see Part I, Item 1A Risk Factors.

February 2021 Winter Events in Texas

During February 2021, Texas experienced extreme winter weather conditions. Certain of the Company's wind projects were unable to operate and experienced outages due to the weather conditions. These projects are now operating within expectations. The Company continues to assess the full financial exposure related to the circumstances, including potential mitigants, ongoing discussions with contractual counterparties, any potential disputes which may result and any state

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sponsored solutions to address the financial impacts caused by the circumstances. Based on available information, the Company currently estimates a direct cash impact between $20 million and $30 million in 2021.

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Consolidated Results of Operations

The following table provides selected financial information:

Year ended December 31,

Operating Revenues

Contract amortization (88) (71) (70)

Mark-to-market for economic hedges — (9) —

Operating Costs and Expenses

Other costs of operations 74 72 69

Depreciation, amortization and accretion 428 401 336

Impairment losses 24 33 —

General and administrative 34 29 20

Transaction and integration costs 9 3 20

Development costs 5 5 3

Total operating costs and expenses 866 808 706

Other Income (Expense)

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates 7 83 74

Impairment loss on investment (8) — —

Gain on sale of unconsolidated affiliate 49 — —

Other income, net 4 9 8

Loss on debt extinguishment (24) (16) (7)

(Loss) Income Before Income Taxes (54) (104) 116

Income tax expense (benefit) 8 (8) 62

Less: Pre-acquisition net income of Drop Down Assets — — 4

Less: Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests (87) (85) 2

Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Clearway Energy, Inc. $ 25 $ (11) $ 48

Year ended December 31,

Renewables MWh generated/sold (in thousands) (a) 7,460 6,584 7,197

Thermal MWh sold (in thousands) 68 176 48

Conventional MWh generated (in thousands) (a)(b) 1,475 1,095 1,656

Conventional equivalent availability factor 94.9 % 94.9 % 94.3 %

(a) Volumes do not include the MWh generated/sold by the Company's equity method investments.

(b) Volumes generated are not sold as the Conventional facilities sell capacity rather than energy.

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Management’s discussion of the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019

Gross Margin

The Company calculates gross margin in order to evaluate operating performance as operating revenues less cost of sales, which includes cost of fuel, contract and emission credit amortization and mark-to-market for economic hedging activities.

Economic Gross Margin

In addition to gross margin, the Company evaluates its operating performance using the measure of Economic Gross Margin, which is not a GAAP measure and may not be comparable to other companies’ presentations or deemed more useful than the GAAP information provided elsewhere in this report. Economic Gross Margin should be viewed as a supplement to and not a substitute for the Company's presentation of gross margin, which is the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Economic Gross Margin is not intended to represent gross margin. The Company believes that Economic Gross Margin is useful to investors as it is a key operational measure reviewed by the Company's chief operating decision maker. Economic Gross Margin is defined as energy and capacity revenue, plus other revenues, less cost of fuels. Economic Gross Margin excludes the following components from GAAP gross margin: contract amortization, mark-to-market results, emissions credit amortization and (losses) gains on economic hedging activities. Mark-to-market results consist of unrealized gains and losses on contracts that are not yet settled.

The below tables present the composition of gross margin, as well as the reconciliation to Economic Gross Margin for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019:

Conventional Renewables Thermal Total

(In millions)

Cost of fuels (4) — (69) (73)

Contract amortization (24) (61) (3) (88)

Cost of fuels (2) — (72) (74)

Contract amortization (7) (61) (3) (71)

Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities — (9) — (9)

Contract amortization 7 61 3 71

Mark-to-market for economic hedging activities — 9 — 9

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Gross margin increased by $168 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, primarily due to:

Segment (In millions)

Operations and Maintenance Expense

Operations and maintenance expense increased by $28 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, due to a $17 million increase in the Conventional segment primarily related to the acquisition of the Carlsbad Energy Center in December 2019 and an $11 million increase in maintenance primarily related to the consolidation of the DGPV Holdco entities within the Renewables segment.

Depreciation, Amortization and Accretion

Depreciation, amortization and accretion expense increased by $27 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to 2019, due to a $30 million increase in the Conventional segment related to the acquisition of Carlsbad Energy in December 2019 and a $3 million increase in the Thermal segment due primarily to accelerated depreciation related to Duquesne, partially offset by a $6 million decrease in the Renewables segment. In 2019, the Company accelerated depreciation at the Wildorado and Elbow Creek projects, in connection with the repowering activities, which resulted in additional depreciation expense for the two projects of $39 million in the prior period. The current period includes incremental depreciation of $33 million consisting of accelerated depreciation of approximately $11 million for the repowering of Pinnacle, additional depreciation of $11 million related to the Oahu and Kawailoa projects which reached COD in late 2019 and $11 million of additional depreciation due to the consolidation of the Chestnut and CS4 Funds in May 2020.

Impairment Losses

The Company recorded impairment losses of $24 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily related to several wind projects within the Renewables segment, as further described in Item 15 — Note 9, Asset Impairments.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased by $5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, primarily due to an increase in MSA fees charged by CEG and an increase in personnel costs.

Transaction and Integration Costs

Transaction and integration expenses increased $6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 primarily due to the increased number of Drop Down transactions.

Equity in Earnings of Unconsolidated Affiliates

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates decreased by $76 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This change was driven by decreases in HLBV earnings for the DGPV Holdco Entities, as well as HLBV losses for Mesquite Star which was acquired September 1, 2020, partially offset by increases in HLBV earnings for the Desert Sunlight, RPV and Utah investments.

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Impairment Loss on Investment

The Company recorded an $8 million impairment loss during the year ended December 31, 2020, related to San Juan Mesa, an equity method investment within the Renewables segment as further described in Item 15 — Note 9, Asset Impairments.

Gain on Sale of Unconsolidated Affiliate

On May 14, 2020, the Company sold its interests in RPV Holdco 1 LLC to a third party which resulted in a gain on sale of investment of approximately $49 million, as further described in Item 15 — Note 3, Acquisition and Dispositions.

Loss on Debt Extinguishment

The Company recorded loss on debt extinguishment of $24 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, which reflects the write-off of previously deferred debt issance costs, primarily related to the repayment of debt and related refinancing activities in the Renewables segment as further described in Item 15 — Note 10, Long-term Debt.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased by $11 million during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 primarily due to:

(In millions)

Change in fair value of interest rate swaps 6

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Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company recorded income tax expense of $8 million on pretax loss of $54 million. For the same period in 2019, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $8 million on pretax loss of $104 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the overall effective tax rate was different than the statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the taxable earnings and losses allocated to partners’ interest in Clearway Energy LLC, which includes the effects of applying the hypothetical liquidation at book value, or HLBV, method of accounting for book purposes to certain partnerships.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, the overall effective tax rate was different than the statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the taxable earnings and losses allocated to partners’ interest in Clearway Energy LLC, which includes the effects of applying the hypothetical liquidation at book value, or HLBV, method of accounting for book purposes to certain partnerships.

A reconciliation of the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% to the Company's effective rate is as follows:

Year Ended December 31,

(In millions, except percentages)

Loss Before Income Taxes $ (54) $ (104)

State taxes, net of federal benefit (4) (7)

Impact of non-taxable partnership earnings 24 24

Investment tax credits — (1)

Production tax credits, including prior year true-up (1) (1)

Rate change 2 —

Other (2) (1)

Income tax expense (benefit) $ 8 $ (8)

Effective income tax rate (14.8) % 7.7 %

The effective income tax rate may vary from period to period depending on, among other factors, the geographic and business mix of earnings and losses, earnings and losses allocated to partners' interest in Clearway Energy LLC which includes the effects of applying the HLBV method of accounting for book purposes to certain partnerships, and changes in valuation allowances in accordance with ASC 740. These factors and others, including the Company's history of pre-tax earnings and losses, are taken into account in assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets.

Net Loss Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests

For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company had income of $26 million attributable to CEG's economic interest in Clearway Energy LLC, offset by losses of $20 million attributable to CEG's interests in the Kawailoa, Oahu and Repowering partnerships and losses of $93 million attributable to noncontrolling interests with respect to its tax equity financing arrangements and the application of the HLBV method.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, the Company had a loss of $14 million attributable to CEG's economic interest in Clearway Energy LLC, as well as $21 million of net losses attributable to CEG's interests in the Repowering, Oahu, and Kawailoa partnerships. The Company also recorded a net loss of $57 million attributable to noncontrolling interests with respect to tax equity financing arrangements and the application of the HLBV method, primarily reflecting tax benefits allocated to tax equity investors in periods immediately subsequent to COD. This was partially offset by $7 million of income attributable to a third party's interest in the Kawailoa partnership.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Company's principal liquidity requirements are to meet its financial commitments, finance current operations, fund capital expenditures, including acquisitions from time to time, service debt and pay dividends. As a normal part of the Company's business, depending on market conditions, the Company will from time to time consider opportunities to repay, redeem, repurchase or refinance its indebtedness. Changes in the Company's operating plans, lower than anticipated sales, increased expenses, acquisitions or other events may cause the Company to seek additional debt or equity financing in future periods. There can be no guarantee that financing will be available on acceptable terms or at all. Debt financing, if available, could impose additional cash payment obligations and additional covenants and operating restrictions.

Current Liquidity Position

As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company's liquidity was approximately $894 million and $842 million, respectively, comprised of cash, restricted cash and availability under the Company's revolving credit facility.

As of December 31,

(In millions)

Cash and cash equivalents:

Clearway Energy, Inc. and Clearway Energy LLC, excluding subsidiaries $ 119 $ 30

Restricted cash:

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash $ 465 $ 417

Revolving credit facility availability $ 429 $ 425

The Company's liquidity includes $197 million and $262 million of restricted cash balances as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Restricted cash consists primarily of funds to satisfy the requirements of certain debt arrangements and funds held within the Company's projects that are restricted in their use. As of December 31, 2020, these restricted funds were comprised of $73 million designated to fund operating expenses, approximately $24 million designated for current debt service payments, and $45 million restricted for reserves including debt service, performance obligations and other reserves, as well as capital expenditures. The remaining $55 million is held in distribution reserve accounts.

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility and $66 million in letters of credit outstanding. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company borrowed $265 million under the revolving credit facility, and subsequently repaid $265 million utilizing the proceeds from the issuance of additional 2028 Senior Notes, as described below, and cash on hand.The Company had $195 million outstanding under the revolving credit facility and a total of $70 million in letters of credit outstanding as of February 26, 2021.

On July 1, 2020, PG&E emerged from bankruptcy and assumed the Company's contracts without modification. Subsequent to July 1, 2020, the Company collected all remaining receivables due from PG&E for pre-petition periods and received all distributions that were previously restricted from subsidiaries affected by the PG&E Bankruptcy.

Management believes that the Company's liquidity position, cash flows from operations and availability under its revolving credit facility will be adequate to meet the Company's financial commitments; debt service obligations; growth, operating and maintenance capital expenditures; and to fund dividends to holders of the Company's Class A common stock and Class C common stock. Management continues to regularly monitor the Company's ability to finance the needs of its operating, financing and investing activity within the dictates of prudent balance sheet management.

Credit Ratings

Credit rating agencies rate a firm's public debt securities. These ratings are utilized by the debt markets in evaluating a firm's credit risk. Ratings influence the price paid to issue new debt securities by indicating to the market the Company's ability to pay principal, interest and preferred dividends. Rating agencies evaluate a firm's industry, cash flow, leverage, liquidity and hedge profile, among other factors, in their credit analysis of a firm's credit risk.

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The following table summarizes the credit ratings for the Company and its Senior Notes as of December 31, 2020. The ratings outlook is stable.

S&P Moody's

Clearway Energy, Inc. BB Ba2

Sources of Liquidity

The Company's principal sources of liquidity include cash on hand, cash generated from operations, proceeds from sales of assets, borrowings under new and existing financing arrangements and the issuance of additional equity and debt securities as appropriate given market conditions. As described in Item 15 —Note 10, Long-term Debt, to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company's financing arrangements consist of corporate level debt, which includes Senior Notes and the revolving credit facility, the ATM Programs, and project-level financings for its various assets.

Revolving Credit Facility

The Company has a total of $429 million available under the revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2020. The facility will continue to be used for general corporate purposes including financing of future acquisitions and posting letters of credit.

DG-CS Master Borrower LLC

On November 2, 2020, DG-CS Master Borrower LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clearway Energy Operating LLC, entered into a financing arrangement, which included the issuance of a $467 million term loan, as well as $30 million in letters of credit in support of debt service. The notes bear interest at 3.51% and mature on September 30, 2040. The proceeds from the loan were utilized to repay existing project-level debt outstanding for Chestnut Borrower LLC, Renew Solar CS 4 Borrower LLC, DGPV 4 Borrower LLC and Puma Class B LLC of $107 million, $102 million, $92 million and $73 million, respectively and unwind related interest rate swaps in the amount of $42 million. The remaining proceeds were utilized to pay related fees and expenses and in part to acquire the Class B membership interests in the DGPV Holdco Entities and an SREC contract from CEG as further described in Item 15 — Note 5, Investments Accounted for by the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities.

Utah Solar Holdings, LLC

On September 1, 2020, Utah Solar Holdings, LLC, or Utah Solar, entered into a financing arrangement, which included the issuance of approximately $296 million in senior secured notes supported by the Company’s interest in the Four Brothers, Granite Mountain and Iron Springs projects, or the Utah projects (previously defined as the Utah Solar Portfolio). The notes bear interest at 3.59% per annum and mature on December 31, 2036. The proceeds from the issuance were utilized to repay existing debt outstanding of approximately $247 million for the Utah projects and to unwind the related interest rate swaps in the amount of $33 million. The remaining proceeds were utilized to pay related fees and expenses, with the remaining $9 million distributed to Clearway Energy Operating LLC.

NIMH Solar LLC

On September 30, 2020, the Alpine, Blythe and Roadrunner projects were transferred under NIMH Solar LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clearway Energy Operating LLC. Concurrently, total project-level debt outstanding for Alpine, Blythe and Roadrunner of $158 million was assigned to NIMH Solar LLC. The consolidated facility was amended to a term loan for$193 million, as well as $16 million in letters of credit in support of debt service and project obligations. The term loan bears annual interest at an annual rate of LIBOR, plus an applicable margin, which is 2.00% per annum through the third anniversary of closing, and 2.125% per annum thereafter through the maturity date in September 2024. As a result of the amendment the Company received $35 million and the funds were utilized to pay related fees and expenses and along with existing project level cash provided a distribution to Clearway Energy Operating LLC of $45 million. The obligations under the financing arrangement are supported by the Company’s interests in the projects.

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2028 Senior Notes

On May 21, 2020, Clearway Energy Operating LLC completed the sale of an additional $250 million aggregate principal amount of the 2028 Senior Notes. The 2028 Senior Notes bear interest at 4.75% and mature on March 15, 2028. The net proceeds were utilized to repay the $45 million outstanding principal amount of the Company's 2020 Convertible Notes on June 1, 2020, as well as repay amounts outstanding under the Company’s revolving credit facility and for general corporate purposes.

ATM Programs

As of December 31, 2020, approximately $126 million of Class C common stock remains available for issuance under the 2020 ATM Program. During the year ended December 31, 2020, the Company sold 2,690,455 shares of Class C common stock for net proceeds of $63 million under the ATM Programs. The Company utilized the proceeds to acquire 2,690,455 Class C units of Clearway Energy LLC. The Company concluded the 2016 ATM program on June 30, 2020.

Sale of Interest in RPV Holdco 1

On May 14, 2020, the Company sold its interests in RPV Holdco 1 LLC to a third party for net proceeds of approximately $75 million.

Sale of Energy Center Dover LLC and Energy Center Smyrna LLC Assets

On March 3, 2020, the Company, through Thermal LLC, sold 100% of its interests in Energy Center Dover LLC and Energy Center Smyrna LLC to DB Energy Assets, LLC for approximately $15 million.

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Uses of Liquidity

The Company's requirements for liquidity and capital resources, other than for operating its facilities, are categorized as: (i) debt service obligations, as described more fully in Item 15 —Note 10, Long-term Debt, to the Consolidated Financial Statements; (ii) capital expenditures; (iii) acquisitions and investments; and (iv) cash dividends to investors.

Debt Service Obligations

Principal payments on debt as of December 31, 2020, are due in the following periods:

(In millions)

Clearway Energy Operating LLC Senior Notes, due 2025 — — — — 600 — 600

Clearway Energy Operating LLC Senior Notes, due 2026 — — — — — 350 350

Clearway Energy Operating LLC Senior Notes, due 2028 — — — — — 850 850

Project-level debt:

Alta Wind Asset Management LLC 1 1 1 1 1 9 14

Carlsbad Energy Holdings LLC, due 2038 — — — — — 407 407

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Capital Expenditures

The Company's capital spending program is mainly focused on maintenance capital expenditures, consisting of costs to maintain the assets currently operating, such as costs to replace or refurbish assets during routine maintenance, and growth capital expenditures consisting of costs to construct new assets, costs to complete the construction of assets where construction is in process, and capital expenditures related to acquiring additional thermal customers.

For the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019, and 2018, the Company used approximately $124 million, $228 million, and $83 million, respectively, to fund capital expenditures, including maintenance capital expenditures of $23 million, $22 million and $36 million, respectively. Growth capital expenditures in 2020 include $59 million in the Renewables segment, $48 million of which were incurred in connection with the repowering of Elbow Creek and Wildorado facilities completed in the first quarter of 2020, $3 million incurred in connection with the Rosamond project, and $8 million incurred in the Oahu Partnership and the Kawailoa Partnership. In addition, the conventional segment incurred growth capital expenditures of $8 million related to the Marsh Landing black start project. The Company also incurred $34 million of growth capital expenditures in the Thermal segment in connection with various development projects.

Growth capital expenditures in 2019 include $180 million in the Renewables segment, $157 million of which were incurred in connection with the Repowering Partnership entered by the Company in August 2018, as well as $29 million incurred in the Oahu Partnership and the Kawailoa Partnership.

Growth capital expenditures in 2018 include $33 million in the Renewables segment in connection with the construction of the Buckthorn Solar Drop Down Asset, of which $10 million was incurred by NRG during the construction of Buckthorn Solar prior to its acquisition by the Company on March 30, 2018.

The Company estimates $28 million of maintenance capital expenditures for 2021. These estimates are subject to continuing review and adjustment and actual capital expenditures may vary from these estimates.

Acquisitions and Investments

The Company intends to acquire generation assets developed and constructed by CEG, as well as generation and thermal infrastructure assets from third parties where the Company believes its knowledge of the market and operating expertise provides a competitive advantage, and to utilize such acquisitions as a means to grow its CAFD.

Mt Storm Agreement — On February 10, 2021, the Company reached an agreement to acquire 100% of the equity interests in Mount Storm Holdings I LLC, or Mt Storm, for approximately $96 million subject to certain purchase price adjustments. Mt Storm is a 264 MW wind project located in Grant County, West Virginia. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Agua Caliente Acquisition — On February 3, 2021, the Company acquired an additional 35% equity interest in the Agua Caliente solar project from NRG Energy, Inc. for $202 million. Agua Caliente is a 290 MW solar project located in Dateland, Arizona in which the Company previously owned a 16% equity interest. The project has a 25-year PPA with PG&E, with approximately 19 years remaining under the agreement. Following the close of the transaction the Company will own a 51% equity interest in Agua Caliente.

Rattlesnake Drop Down — On January 12, 2021, the Company acquired 100% of CEG's equity interest and a third party investor's minority interest in Rattlesnake Flat, LLC, which owns the Rattlesnake Wind Project, a 160 net MW wind facility located in Adams County, WA which achieved commercial operations in January 2021, for $132 million in cash consideration and expects its net capital commitment to be $119 million after proceeds from a state sales and use tax refund which are expected to be received in 2021.

Lighthouse Partnership Agreements— On December 21, 2020, subsidiaries of the Company entered into the Lighthouse Partnership Agreements providing for the Company’s co-investment in a 1,204 MW portfolio of renewable energy projects developed by CEG. In addition, the agreements included an amendment of the partnership that owns the 419 MW Mesquite Star wind project, providing the Company with additional project cash flows after the first half of 2031. As described below, the Company had previously acquired an interest in Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC, which was subsequently renamed Lighthouse Renewable Holdco LLC. The 1,204 MW portfolio of renewable energy projects includes:

◦Five geographically diversified wind, solar and solar plus storage assets under development totaling 1,012 MW, and

◦The 192 MW Rosamond Central solar project, located in Kern County, California. On December 21, 2020, the Company acquired 100% of the Class A membership interests of Rosie Target Co LLC, which

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consolidates its interest in a tax equity fund that owns the project, for $23 million in cash consideration and an additional $1 million adjustment concurrent with the tax equity investor's final funding which was paid in January 2021. Rosie Target Co LLC is a partnership, whose Class B membership interests are owned by a third party investor. The Company is entitled to a 50% cash equity interest in Rosamond Central through its Class A membership interests.

For the above-mentioned transactions, the Company expects to invest an estimated $215 million in corporate capital by the end of 2022, subject to closing adjustments and the projects achieving certain milestones. The expected net corporate capital includes the $24 million already invested in Rosamond Central in 2020 and the purchase price adjustment received concurrent with the partnership agreement amendment for Mesquite Star.

Langford Drop Down — On November 20, 2020, the Company acquired from Clearway Renew LLC, a subsidiary of CEG, and a third party investor, 100% of the cash equity interests in Langford Holding LLC, which owns the Langford wind project, for total cash consideration of approximately $64 million. The Langford wind project is a 160 MW wind project located in West Texas which was repowered and achieved commercial operations in November 2020. The investment was funded with existing liquidity.

DGPV Holdco Residual Interest from CEG — On November 2, 2020, the Company acquired the Class B membership interests in DGPV Holdco 1, DGPV Holdco 2 and DGPV Holdco 3, or DGPV Holdco Entities, as well as a SREC contract, from Renew DG Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of CEG for $44 million in cash consideration. In connection with the acquisition of the Class B membership interests, the Company consolidated their interest in the underlying distributed solar tax equity funds within DGPV Holdco 1 and DGPV Holdco 2. The Company had previously consolidated DGPV Holdco 3 effective in May 2020.

DG Investment Partnerships with CEG — Prior to the acquisition of CEG's Class B membership interests mentioned above, the Company invested approximately $10 million in the DG investment partnerships with CEG during 2020, bringing total capital invested in these investment partnerships to $266 million.

Mesquite Star Drop Down — OnSeptember 1, 2020, the Company, through its indirect subsidiary Mesquite Star HoldCo LLC, acquired the Class A membership interests in Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC from Clearway Renew LLC, a subsidiary of CEG, for $74 million in cash consideration inclusive of a purchase price adjustment received in the fourth quarter of 2020 concurrent with the partnership amendment referenced below. Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC is the primary beneficiary and consolidates its interest in a tax equity fund that owns the Mesquite Star wind project, a 419 MW utility scale wind project located in Fisher County, Texas. A majority of the project’s output is backed by contracts with investment grade counterparties with a 12 year weighted average contract life. As described above, Mesquite Star Pledgor LLC was renamed Lighthouse Renewable Holdco LLC and the Class B membership interests were sold to a third party investor.The investor and the Company amended the terms of the related partnership and as a result, the Company now consolidates its interest in the Mesquite Star wind project, through its consolidation of Lighthouse Renewable Holdco LLC.

Agreements to Acquire and Invest in a Portfolio of Renewable Energy Projects from CEG — On April 17, 2020, the Company entered into binding agreements related to the previously announced dropdown offer from CEG to enable the Company to acquire and invest in a portfolio of renewable energy projects. The following projects are included in the drop down agreements.

•CEG's interest in Repowering Partnership II LLC (Repowering 1.0), which the Company acquired on May 11, 2020 for cash consideration of $70 million,

•100% of the equity interests in Rattlesnake Flat, LLC, which owns the Rattlesnake Wind Project, a 160 net MW wind facility located in Adams County, WA which the company acquired on January 12, 2021 as mentioned above, and

•On February 26, 2021, the Company, through an indirect subsidiary, entered into an amended partnership agreement with CEG to repower the Pinnacle Wind Project, a 55 net MW wind facility located in Mineral County, WV. The amended agreement commits the Company to invest an estimated $67 million in net corporate capital, subject to closing adjustments, and no longer requires an additional payment in 2031. The existing Pinnacle Wind power purchase agreements will continue to run through 2031. Commercial operations and corporate capital funding for the Pinnacle Wind Repowering Partnership are expected to occur in the second half of 2021.

For the above mentioned transactions, the agreements commit the Company to invest an estimated $256 million in net corporate capital, subject to closing adjustments.

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2020 Convertible Notes

On June 1, 2020, the Company repaid at maturity its outstanding $45 million of 2020 Convertible Notes utilizing the proceeds from the issuance of additional 2028 Senior Notes as described above.

Cash Dividends to Investors

The Company intends to use the amount of cash that it receives from its distributions from Clearway Energy LLC to pay quarterly dividends to the holders of its Class A common stock and Class C common stock. Clearway Energy LLC intends to distribute to its unit holders in the form of a quarterly distribution all of the CAFD that is generated each quarter less reserves for the prudent conduct of the business, including among others, maintenance capital expenditures to maintain the operating capacity of the assets. CAFD is defined as Adjusted EBITDA plus cash distributions/return of investment from unconsolidated affiliates, adjustments to reflect CAFD generated by unconsolidated investments that were not able to distribute project dividends prior to PG&E's emergence from bankruptcy on July 1, 2020 and subsequent release post-bankruptcy, cash receipts from notes receivable, cash distributions from noncontrolling interests, adjustments to reflect sales-type lease cash payments, less cash distributions to noncontrolling interests, maintenance capital expenditures, pro-rata Adjusted EBITDA from unconsolidated affiliates, cash interest paid, income taxes paid, principal amortization of indebtedness, Walnut Creek investment payments, changes in prepaid and accrued capacity payments, and adjusted for development expenses. Dividends on the Class A common stock and Class C common stock are subject to available capital, market conditions, and compliance with associated laws, regulations and other contractual obligations. The Company expects that, based on current circumstances, comparable cash dividends will continue to be paid in the foreseeable future.

The following table lists the dividends paid on the Company's Class A common stock and Class C common stock during the year ended December 31, 2020:

On February 12, 2021, the Company declared a quarterly dividend on its Class A and Class C common stock of $0.324 per share payable on March 15, 2021, to stockholders of record as of March 1, 2021.

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Cash Flow Discussion

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2019

The following table reflects the changes in cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to 2019:

(In millions)

Net cash provided by operating activities $ 545 $ 477 $ 68

Net cash used in investing activities (62) (468) 406

Net cash used in financing activities (435) (175) (260)

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

Increase in operating income adjusted for non-cash items $ 76

Increase in dividend distributions received from unconsolidated affiliates 27

Net Cash Used In Investing Activities

Changes to net cash used in investing activities were driven by: (In millions)

Acquisition of Duquesne University District Energy System on May 1, 2019 100

Payments for partnership interests in 2019 48

Increase in net distributions from unconsolidated affiliates in 2020 23

Increase in cash due to consolidation of DGPV Holdco 3 LLC in May 2020 17

Other 5

Net Cash Used In Financing Activities

Changes in net cash used in financing activities were driven by: (In millions)

Increase in dividends paid to common stockholders in 2020 (56)

Decrease in net proceeds received from issuance of common stock (38)

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NOLs, Deferred Tax Assets and Uncertain Tax Position Implications, under ASC 740

As of December 31, 2020, the Company has a cumulative federal NOL carry forward balance of $1.2 billion for financial statement purposes, of which $0.9 billion will begin expiring between 2033 to 2037 if unutilized. The Company does not anticipate any federal income tax payments for 2021. Additionally, as of December 31, 2020, the Company has a cumulative state NOL carryforward balance of $726 million for financial statement purposes, which will expire between 2023 to 2040 if unutilized. The Company does not anticipate significant income tax payments for state and local jurisdictions in 2021. Based on the Company's current and expected NOL balances generated primarily by accelerated tax depreciation of its property, plant and equipment, the Company does not expect to pay significant federal income tax for a period of approximately ten years inclusive of any NOL carryovers subject to an 80% limitation against future taxable income for taxable years beginning after 2020 pursuant to the Tax Act as modified by the CARES Act (defined below).

As of December 31, 2020, the Company has an interest disallowance carry forward of $46 million as a result of the proposed §163(j) regulation, which was enacted as part of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act. The disallowed interest deduction has an indefinite carry forward period and any limitations on the utilization of this carry forward have been factored into our valuation allowance analysis.

On March 27, 2020 the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, or CARES Act, was signed into law, which includes modifications to the business interest expense disallowance and net operating loss provisions. The Company expects to utilize $39 million of previously disallowed interest expense during 2020 as a result of the modifications. The Company will continue to assess the effects of the CARES Act and ongoing government guidance related to COVID-19 that may be issued, but does not expect the CARES Act to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

On June 29, 2020, governor of California signed Assembly Bill 85, or AB 85, suspending California net operating loss utilization and imposing a cap on the amount of business incentive credits companies can utilize, effective for tax years 2020, 2021, and 2022. After assessing the law change, the Company expects AB 85 to have an immaterial impact on the consolidated financial statements.

The Company is subject to examination by taxing authorities for income tax returns filed in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and various state jurisdictions. The Company is not subject to U.S. federal or state income tax examinations for years prior to 2013.

The Company has no uncertain tax benefits.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Obligations under Certain Guarantee Contracts

The Company may enter into guarantee arrangements in the normal course of business to facilitate commercial transactions with third parties.

Retained or Contingent Interests

The Company does not have any material retained or contingent interests in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity.

Obligations Arising Out of a Variable Interest in an Unconsolidated Entity

Variable interest in equity investments — As of December 31, 2020, the Company has several investments with an ownership interest percentage of 50% or less in energy and an energy-related entity that is accounted for under the equity method. GenConn is a variable interest entity for which the Company is not the primary beneficiary. The Company's pro-rata share of non-recourse debt held by unconsolidated affiliates was approximately $481 million as of December 31, 2020. This indebtedness may restrict the ability of these subsidiaries to issue dividends or distributions to the Company. See also Item 15 — Note 5, Investments Accounted for by the Equity Method and Variable Interest Entities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

The Company has a variety of contractual obligations and other commercial commitments that represent prospective cash requirements in addition to the Company's capital expenditure programs. The following table summarizes the Company's contractual obligations. See Item 15 — Note 10, Long-term Debt, Note 16, Commitments and Contingencies, and Note 17, Leases to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional discussion.

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By Remaining Maturity at December 31,

(In millions)

Fuel purchase and transportation obligations 9 5 — — 14 31

(a) Includes water right agreements, service and maintenance agreements, and LTSA commitments.

Fair Value of Derivative Instruments

The Company may enter into fuel purchase contracts and other energy-related financial instruments to mitigate variability in earnings due to fluctuations in spot market prices and to hedge fuel requirements at certain generation facilities. In addition, in order to mitigate interest rate risk associated with the issuance of variable rate debt, the Company enters into interest rate swap agreements.

The tables below disclose the activities of non-exchange traded contracts accounted for at fair value in accordance with ASC 820. Specifically, these tables disaggregate realized and unrealized changes in fair value; disaggregate estimated fair values at December 31, 2020, based on their level within the fair value hierarchy defined in ASC 820; and indicate the maturities of contracts at December 31, 2020. For a full discussion of the Company's valuation methodology of its contracts, see Derivative Fair Value Measurements in Item 15 —Note 6, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Derivative Activity (Losses)/Gains (In millions)

Fair value of contracts as of December 31, 2019 $ (92)

Contracts realized or otherwise settled during the period 101

Contracts added during the period (80)

Changes in fair value (101)

Fair value of contracts as of December 31, 2020 $ (172)

Fair value of contracts as of December 31, 2020

Maturity

(In millions)

The Company has elected to disclose derivative assets and liabilities on a trade-by-trade basis and does not offset amounts at the counterparty master agreement level. As discussed below in Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk -Commodity Price Risk, the Company measures the sensitivity of the portfolio to potential changes in market prices using VaR, a statistical model which attempts to predict risk of loss based on market price and volatility. The Company's risk management policy places a limit on one-day holding period VaR, which limits the net open position.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The Company's discussion and analysis of the financial condition and results of operations are based upon the consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements and related disclosures in compliance with GAAP requires the application of appropriate technical accounting rules and guidance as well as the use of estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. The application of these policies necessarily involves judgments regarding future events, including the likelihood of success of particular projects, legal and regulatory challenges and the fair value of certain assets and liabilities. These judgments, in and of themselves, could materially affect the financial statements and disclosures based on varying assumptions, which may be appropriate to use. In addition, the financial and operating environment may also have a significant effect, not only on the operation of the business, but on the results reported through the application of accounting measures used in preparing the financial statements and related disclosures, even if the nature of the accounting policies has not changed.

On an ongoing basis, the Company evaluates these estimates, utilizing historic experience, consultation with experts and other methods the Company considers reasonable. Actual results may differ substantially from the Company's estimates. Any effects on the Company's business, financial position or results of operations resulting from revisions to these estimates are recorded in the period in which the information that gives rise to the revision becomes known.

The Company's significant accounting policies are summarized in Item 15 — Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company identifies its most critical accounting policies as those that are the most pervasive and important to the portrayal of the Company's financial position and results of operations, and that require the most difficult, subjective and/or complex judgments by management regarding estimates about matters that are inherently uncertain. The Company's critical accounting policies include income taxes and valuation allowance for deferred tax assets, impairment of long lived assets and other intangible assets.

Accounting Policy Judgments/Uncertainties Affecting Application

Anticipated future decisions of tax authorities

Application of tax statutes and regulations to transactions

Regulatory and political environments and requirements

Estimated useful lives of assets

Operational limitations and environmental obligations

Estimates of future cash flows

Estimates of fair value

Judgment about triggering events

Acquisition Accounting Identification of assets acquired

Inputs for fair values of assets and liabilities acquired

Application of appropriate fair value methodologies

Income Taxes and Valuation Allowance for Deferred Tax Assets

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had a valuation allowance of $15 million. The valuation allowance is related to a deferred tax asset expected to result in a capital loss for which no existing capital gains or tax planning strategies to utilize the asset in the future are available, as well as state net operating losses the Company expects to expire unutilized. Other than for this expected capital loss and state NOL mentioned above, the Company believes it is more likely than not that the results of future operations will generate sufficient taxable income which includes the future reversal of existing taxable temporary differences to realize deferred tax assets. The Company considered the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act upon timing and future realization of net deferred tax assets, the profit before tax generated in recent years, as well as projections of future earnings and estimates of taxable income in arriving at this conclusion. The realization of deferred tax assets is primarily dependent upon earnings in federal and various state and local jurisdictions.

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Considerable judgment is required to determine the tax treatment of a particular item that involves interpretations of complex tax laws. The project-level entities, as former subsidiaries of NRG, are no longer subject to federal audit examination for years prior to 2015 but are subject to state and local audit for multiple years in various jurisdictions. The Company is subject to U.S. federal, state, and local income tax examinations for all years beginning in 2013.

Evaluation of Assets for Impairment and Other-Than-Temporary Decline in Value

In accordance with ASC 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment, or ASC 360, property, plant and equipment and certain intangible assets are evaluated for impairment whenever indicators of impairment exist. Examples of such indicators or events are:

•Significant decrease in the market price of a long-lived asset;

•Significant adverse change in the manner an asset is being used or its physical condition;

•Adverse business climate;

•Accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the construction or acquisition of an asset;

•Current-period loss combined with a history of losses or the projection of future losses; and

•Change in the Company's intent about an asset from an intent to hold to a greater than 50% likelihood that an asset will be sold or disposed of before the end of its previously estimated useful life.

Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of the assets to the future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset, considering project specific assumptions for long-term energy prices, escalated future project operating costs and expected plant operations. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets. The fair value may be determined by factoring in the probability weighting of different courses of action available to the Company as appropriate. Generally, fair value will be determined using valuation techniques such as the present value of expected future cash flows or comparable values determined by transactions in the market. The Company uses its best estimates in making these evaluations and considers various factors, including forward price curves for energy, fuel costs and operating costs. However, actual future market prices and project costs could vary from the assumptions used in the Company's estimates, and the impact of such variations could be material.

Annually, during the fourth quarter, the Company revises its views of energy prices, including the Company's long-term view of power prices, which is primarily informed by present conditions, forecasted generation and operating and capital expenditures, in connection with the preparation of its annual budget.

The Company recorded certain long-lived asset impairments in 2020, as described below and in Item 15 — Note 9, Asset Impairments, to the Consolidated Financial Statements, with respect to several wind projects.

During the fourth quarter of 2020 in the preparation and review of its annual budget, the Company updated its long-term estimates of operating and capital expenditures and revised its assessment of long-term merchant power prices which was primarily informed by present conditions and does not contemplate future policy changes which could impact renewable energy power prices. As a result, the Company updated its estimated future cash flows and determined that the future cash flows for several wind projects within the Renewables segment no longer supported the recoverability of the related long-lived asset. As such, the Company recorded an impairment loss of $24 million, which primarily relates to property, plant, and equipment to reflect the assets at fair market value. The fair value of the facilities were determined using an income approach by applying a discounted cash flow methodology to the long-term budgets for each respective plant. The income approach included key inputs such as forecasted merchant power prices, operations and maintenance expense, and discount rates. The resulting fair value is a Level 3 fair value measurement.

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The Company is also required to evaluate its equity method investments to determine whether or not they are impaired. ASC 323, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures, or ASC 323, provides the accounting requirements for these investments. The standard for determining whether an impairment must be recorded under ASC 323 is whether the value is considered to be an other-than-temporary decline in value. The evaluation and measurement of impairments under ASC 323 involves the same uncertainties as described for long-lived assets that the Company owns directly and accounts for in accordance with ASC 360. Similarly, the estimates that the Company makes with respect to its equity method investments are subjective, and the impact of variations in these estimates could be material. Additionally, if the projects in which the Company holds these investments recognize an impairment under the provisions of ASC 360, the Company would record its proportionate share of that impairment loss and would evaluate its investment for an other-than-temporary decline in value under ASC 323. During the fourth quarter of 2020, as the Company updated its estimated cash flows in connection with the preparation and review of the Company's annual budget, the Company determined that there was a significant decrease in the estimated future cash flows for its equity method investment in San Juan Mesa, a facility in the Renewables segment. The decrease in the forecasted cash flows which is primarily driven by a decline in forecasted revenue in future merchant periods, is significant enough to be considered an indication of a decline in value of the investment that is not temporary. The Company concluded there was an other-than-temporary impairment of its investment and recorded an impairment loss of $8 million to reflect the investment at fair market value.

Certain of the Company’s projects have useful lives that extend well beyond the contract period and therefore, management’s view of long-term energy prices in the post-contract periods may have a significant impact on the expected future cash flows for these projects. Accordingly, if management lowers its view of long-term energy prices in certain markets, it is possible that some of the Company’s other long-lived assets may be impaired.

Acquisition Accounting

The Company applies ASC 805, Business Combinations, when accounting for acquisitions, with identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed recorded at their estimated fair values at acquisition date. For many of the Company's acquisitions, the Company applies ASC 805-50, which provides that acquisitions of entities under common control are recorded at historical cost, except in the case where the ultimate parent has a different basis, such as when an acquiree did not elect to apply pushdown accounting. In those circumstances, the Company may also be required to record its acquired assets and liabilities at fair value. As further described in Item 15 - Note 3, Acquisitions and Dispositions, the Company recorded the assets acquired in the acquisitions of Langford and the DGPV Holdco Entities at GIP's basis which was fair value.

Significant judgment is required in determining the acquisition date fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, predominantly with respect to property, plant and equipment, power purchase agreements, asset retirement obligations and other contractual arrangements. Evaluations include numerous inputs including forecasted cash flows that incorporate the specific attributes of each asset including age, useful life, equipment condition and technology, as well as current replacement costs for similar assets. Other key inputs that require judgment include discount rates, comparable market transactions, estimated useful lives and probability of future transactions. The Company evaluates all available information, as well as all appropriate methodologies, when determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. In addition, once the appropriate fair values are determined, the Company must determine the remaining useful life for property, plant and equipment and the amortization period and method of amortization for each finite-lived intangible asset.

Recent Accounting Developments

See Item 15 — Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a discussion of recent accounting developments.

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Item 7A — Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

The Company is exposed to several market risks in its normal business activities. Market risk is the potential loss that may result from market changes associated with the Company's power generation or with an existing or forecasted financial or commodity transaction. The types of market risks the Company is exposed to are commodity price risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and credit risk.

Commodity Price Risk

Commodity price risks result from exposures to changes in spot prices, forward prices, volatilities, and correlations between various commodities, such as electricity, natural gas and emissions credits. The Company manages the commodity price risk of its merchant generation operations by entering into derivative or non-derivative instruments to hedge the variability in future cash flows from forecasted power sales or purchases of fuel. The portion of forecasted transactions hedged may vary based upon management's assessment of market, weather, operation and other factors. See Item 15 — Note 7, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

Based on a sensitivity analysis using simplified assumptions, the impact of a $0.50 per MMBtu decrease in natural gas prices across the term of the derivative contracts would cause no change to the net value of natural gas derivatives, and an increase of $0.50 MMBtu in natural gas prices across the term of the derivative contracts would cause an increase of approximately $1 million to the net value of natural gas derivatives as of December 31, 2020. The impact of a $0.50 per MWh increase or decrease in power prices across the term of the derivative contracts would cause a change of approximately $3 million to the net value of power derivatives as of December 31, 2020.

Interest Rate Risk

The Company is exposed to fluctuations in interest rates through its issuance of variable rate debt. Exposures to interest rate fluctuations may be mitigated by entering into derivative instruments known as interest rate swaps, caps, collars and put or call options. These contracts reduce exposure to interest rate volatility and result in primarily fixed rate debt obligations when taking into account the combination of the variable rate debt and the interest rate derivative instrument. See Item 15 — Note 7, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.

Most of the Company's project subsidiaries enter into interest rate swaps, intended to hedge the risks associated with interest rates on non-recourse project level debt. See Item 15 — Note 10, Long-term Debt, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about interest rate swaps of the Company's project subsidiaries.

If all of the above swaps had been discontinued on December 31, 2020, the Company would have owed the counterparties $134 million. Based on the credit ratings of the counterparties, the Company believes its exposure to credit risk due to nonperformance by counterparties to its hedge contracts to be insignificant.

The Company has long-term debt instruments that subject it to the risk of loss associated with movements in market interest rates. As of December 31, 2020, a 1% change in interest rates would result in an approximately $1 million change in interest expense on a rolling twelve-month basis.

As of December 31, 2020, the fair value of the Company's debt was $7,020 million and the carrying value was $7,048 million. The Company estimates that a 1% decrease in market interest rates would have increased the fair value of its long-term debt by $412 million.

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk arises from the general funding needs of the Company's activities and in the management of the Company's assets and liabilities.

Counterparty Credit Risk

Credit risk relates to the risk of loss resulting from non-performance or non-payment by counterparties pursuant to the terms of their contractual obligations. The Company monitors and manages credit risk through credit policies that include: (i) an established credit approval process, and (ii) the use of credit mitigation measures such as prepayment arrangements or volumetric limits. Risks surrounding counterparty performance and credit could ultimately impact the amount and timing of expected cash flows. The Company seeks to mitigate counterparty risk by having a diversified portfolio of counterparties. See Item 15 — Note 6, Fair Value of Financial Instruments, to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information about concentration of credit risk.

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Item 8 — Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The financial statements and schedules are listed in Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K.

Item 9 — Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A — Controls and Procedures

Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures and Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including its principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, the Company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act. Based on this evaluation, the Company's principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the quarter ended December 31, 2020, that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Inherent Limitations over Internal Controls

The Company's internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

1. Pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the Company's assets;

2. Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that the Company's receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of its management and directors; and

3. Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company's assets that could have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements.

Internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance of achieving financial reporting objectives because of its inherent limitations, including the possibility of human error and circumvention by collusion or overriding of controls. Accordingly, even an effective internal control system may not prevent or detect material misstatements on a timely basis. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Company's management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including its principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer, the Company conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on the Company's evaluation under the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013), the Company's management concluded that its internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020.

The effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, has been audited by KPMG LLP, the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in its report which is included in this Form 10-K.

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Clearway Energy, Inc.:

Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have audited Clearway Energy, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes and financial statement schedules (“Schedule I- Condensed Financial Information of Registrant” and “Schedule II- Valuation and Qualifying Accounts”) (collectively, the consolidated financial statements), and our report dated March 1, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

(signed) KPMG LLP

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

March 1, 2021

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Item 9B — Other Information

None.

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PART III

Item 10 — Information about Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Directors

Nathaniel Anschuetz, 33, has served as a director since August 2018. Mr. Anschuetz is a Principal at GIP. Prior to joining GIP in 2012, Mr. Anschuetz was an Analyst in the Power & Utilities Coverage Group at Citigroup from June 2010 through June 2012. Mr. Anschuetz is also a member of the Board of Directors of Clearway Energy Group LLC and MAP RE/ES. Mr. Anschuetz graduated with cum laude honors from Columbia College in 2010 with an A.B. in Economics and Operations Research, and a concentration in Sustainable Development. Mr. Anschuetz's financial expertise provides significant value to the Company's board of directors.

Jonathan Bram, 55, has served as Chairman of the board of directors of the Company since August 2018. Mr. Bram is a Founding Partner of GIP and serves on its Investment and Operating Committees. He leads GIP’s Power industry investment team in North America. Prior to the formation of GIP in 2006, Mr. Bram spent 15 years at Credit Suisse as a Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division, where he served as Co-Head of the Global Industrial and Services Group. From 2002 to 2004, he was Chief Operating Officer of the Investment Banking Division and prior to that time he was co-head of corporate finance for the 150 person U.S. Energy Group. Mr. Bram represented the firm in raising more than $30 billion of debt and equity capital for electric utilities and independent power generators globally. These companies and projects included renewable power facilities that utilized wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric technologies. Mr. Bram is also a member of the Board of Directors of Clearway Energy Group LLC and previously served on the boards of Terra-Gen Power, Guacolda Energia, S.A. and Channelview Cogeneration. Mr. Bram holds an A.B. in Economics from Columbia College. Mr. Bram’s significant experience in investment banking for, and investments in, energy and power companies, as well as his leadership role at GIP, provide strong financial and transactional experience to the Company's board of directors.

Brian R. Ford, 72, has served as a director since July 2013 and Lead Independent Director since January 2019. Mr. Ford was the Chief Executive Officer of Washington Philadelphia Partners, LP, a real estate investment company, from 2008 through 2010. He retired as a partner from Ernst & Young LLP in June 2008 where he had been employed since 1971. Mr. Ford currently serves on the board of various companies, including FS Investment Corporation portfolios, a specialty finance company that invests primarily in the debt securities of private U.S. middle-market companies, since 2013, where he also serves as the chairman of the audit committee. He also serves on the boards of Drexel University and BAYADA Home Health. From 2013 to 2020, Mr. Ford served on the board of AmeriGas Propane, Inc., where he also served as a member of its audit and corporate governance committees. Mr. Ford received his B.S. in Economics from Rutgers University. Mr. Ford's extensive experience in accounting and public company matters provides strong financial, audit and accounting skills to the Company's board of directors.

Bruce MacLennan, 54, has served as a director since August 2018. Mr. MacLennan is a Partner of GIP and serves on its Investment and Operating Committees. Prior to joining GIP at its formation in 2006, Mr. MacLennan spent eight years at Credit Suisse, where he most recently served as a Director in the Investment Banking Division. Previously, he spent six years at Citibank and Citicorp Securities in New York and Tokyo. Mr. MacLennan holds an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Clearway Energy Group LLC and MAP RE/ES and previously served on the Board of Competitive Power Ventures. Mr. MacLennan’s significant experience in investment banking for, and investments in, energy and power companies, as well as his leadership role at GIP, provide strong financial and transactional experience to the Company's board of directors.

Ferrell P. McClean, 74, has served as a director since July 2013. Ms. McClean was a Managing Director and the Senior Advisor to the head of the Global Oil & Gas Group in Investment Banking at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. from 2000 through the end of 2001. She joined J.P. Morgan & Co. Incorporated in 1969 and founded the Leveraged Buyout and Restructuring Group within the Mergers & Acquisitions Group in 1986. From 1991 until 2000, Ms. McClean was a Managing Director and co-headed the Global Energy Group within the Investment Banking Group at J.P. Morgan & Co. She retired as a director of GrafTech International in 2014, El Paso Corporation in 2012 and Unocal Corporation in 2005. Ms. McClean's experience in investment banking for industrial companies as well as her experience and understanding of financial accounting, finance and disclosure matters enables her to provide essential guidance to the Company's board of directors and management team.

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Daniel B. More, 64, has served as a director since February 2019. Mr. More has been a Senior Advisor with Guggenheim Securities since October 2015. Mr. Moreretiredas a Managing Director and Global Head of Utility Mergers & Acquisitions of the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley in 2014. He held such position since 1996. Mr. More has been an investment banker since 1978 and has specialized in the utility sector since 1986. Mr. More has served as a director of SJW Group since April 2015. He served as a director of Saeta Yield from February 2015 to June 2018 and served as a director of the New York Independent System Operator from April 2014 until February 2016. Mr. More’s extensive experience in investment banking, including capital raising and strategic initiatives, combined with experience as a director of energy industry companies, provides significant value to the Company's board of directors.

E. Stanley O'Neal, 69, has served as a director since August 2018. Mr. O'Neal served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. until October 2007. He became Chief Executive Officer of Merrill Lynch in 2002 and was elected Chairman of the Board in 2003. Mr. O’Neal was employed with Merrill Lynch for 21 years, serving as President and Chief Operating Officer from July 2001 to December 2002; President of U.S. Private Client from February 2000 to July 2001; Chief Financial Officer from 1998 to 2000 and Executive Vice President and Co-head of Global Markets and Investment Banking from 1997 to 1998. Before joining Merrill Lynch, Mr. O’Neal was employed at General Motors Corporation where he held a number of financial positions of increasing responsibility. Currently, Mr. O’Neal is chairman of the nominating and governance committee and a member of the committee of Arconic Corp., an aluminum manufacturing company and the former parent company of Alcoa Inc. Mr. O’Neal is also a director and member of the nominating and governance committee of Element Solutions Inc. (formerly Platform Specialty Products Corporation), a global, diversified producer of high technology specialty chemical products and provider of technical services. Mr. O’Neal was a director of General Motors Corporation from 2001 to 2006, chairman of the board of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. from 2003 to 2007, and a director of American Beacon Advisors, Inc. (investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission) from 2009 to September 2012. Mr. O’Neal’s extensive executive experience, financial expertise and leadership skills enable him to provide unique guidance to the Company's board of directors and management team.

Christopher S. Sotos, 49,has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since May 2016, and as a director since May 2013. Mr. Sotos had also served in various positions at NRG, including most recently as Executive Vice President - Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions from February 2016 through May 2016 and Senior Vice President - Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions from November 2012 through February 2016. In this role, he led NRG’s corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and other special projects for NRG. Previously, he served as NRG’s Senior Vice President and Treasurer from March 2008 to September 2012, where he was responsible for all treasury functions, including raising capital, valuation, debt administration and cash management. Mr. Sotos also previously served as a director of FuelCell Energy, Inc. from September 2014 to April 2019. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, Mr. Sotos provides the Company's board of directors with management’s perspective regarding the Company’s day to day operations and overall strategic plan. Mr. Sotos also brings strong financial and accounting skills to the Company's board of directors.

Scott Stanley, 64, has served as a director since August 2018. Mr. Stanley has been employed by GIP as an Operating Principal since April 2007, and in August 2018 was appointed as an Operating Partner. Mr. Stanley holds a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from The Ohio State University and has 39 years of experience in operational roles, including prior assignments with General Electric, Honeywell, and United Technologies Corporation. Working predominantly in the transport sector with GIP, Mr. Stanley has held roles as Chief Operating Officer with London City Airport, Gatwick Airport, and Pacific National and was also on the Board of Directors at Edinburgh Airport. Mr. Stanley is also a member of the Board of Directors of Clearway Energy Group LLC and Italo S.p.A. and previously served on the Board of Directors of Naturgy Energy Group, S.A. Mr. Stanley adds significant operational expertise to the Company's board of directors.

Executive Officers

Christopher S. Sotoshas served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since May 2016, and as a director of the Company since May 2013. For additional biographical information for Mr. Sotos, see above under “Directors.”

Chad Plotkin, 45, has served as the Company's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since November 2016. From January 2016 until his appointment as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Plotkin served as Senior Vice President, Finance and Strategy. Prior to this, he served in varying capacities at NRG, including as Vice President of Investor Relations of both the Company and NRG from September 2015 to January 2016 and from January 2012 to February 2015 and Vice President of Finance of NRG from February 2015 to September 2015. From October 2007 to January 2012, Mr. Plotkin served in various capacities in the Strategy and Mergers and Acquisitions group of NRG, including as Vice President, beginning in December 2010.

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Kevin P.Malcarney, 54, has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since May 11, 2018. Mr. Malcarney served as Interim General Counsel of the Company from March 16, 2018. Mr. Malcarney was previously Vice President and Deputy General Counsel and served in various other roles at NRG Energy, Inc. since September 2008. Prior to NRG, Mr. Malcarney worked at two major law firms in Princeton, NJ and Philadelphia, PA, and handled mergers and acquisitions, project financing and general corporate matters.

Code of Ethics

The Company has adopted a code of ethics entitled "Clearway Energy, Inc. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics" that applies to all of our directors and employees, including our Officers (e.g., our CEO, CFO, and Principal Accounting Officer). It may be accessed through the "Corporate Governance" section of the Company's website at http://www.clearwayenergy.com. The Company also elects to disclose the information required by Form 8-K, Item 5.05, "Amendments to the Registrant's Code of Ethics, or Waiver of a Provision of the Code of Ethics," through the Company's website, and such information will remain available on this website for at least a 12-month period. A copy of the "Clearway Energy, Inc. Code of Business Conduct and Ethics" is available in print to any stockholder who requests it.

Other information required by this Item will be incorporated by reference to the similarly named section of the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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Item 11 — Executive Compensation

Information required by this Item will be incorporated by reference to the similarly named section of the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Item 12 — Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Securities Authorized for Issuance under the Clearway Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated 2013 Equity Compensation Plan

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders — N/A —

(1) Beginning in May 2015, awards to be granted and associated dividend equivalent rights to be issued under the Clearway Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated 2013 Equity Incentive Plan convert to Class C common stock upon vesting.

Other information required by this Item will be incorporated by reference to the similarly named section of the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Item 13 — Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Information required by this Item will be incorporated by reference to the similarly named section of the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

Item 14 — Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Information required by this Item will be incorporated by reference to the similarly named section of the Company's Definitive Proxy Statement for its 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.

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PART IV

Item 15 — Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

(a)(1) Financial Statements

The following consolidated financial statements of Clearway Energy, Inc. and related notes thereto, together with the reports thereon of KPMG LLP, are included herein:

Consolidated Statements of Operations — Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income — Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018

Consolidated Balance Sheets — As of December 31, 2020 and 2019

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows — Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity — Years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedules

The following schedules of Clearway Energy, Inc. are filed as part of Item 15 of this report and should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements:

Schedule I — Clearway Energy, Inc. Financial Statements for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, are included in Clearway Energy, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K pursuant to the requirements of Rule 5-04(c) of Regulation S-X

Schedule II — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts

All other schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable, and therefore, have been omitted

(a)(3) Exhibits: See Exhibit Index submitted as a separate section of this report

(b) Exhibits

See Exhibit Index submitted as a separate section of this report

(c) Not applicable

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors

Clearway Energy, Inc.:

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Clearway Energy, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three‐year period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes and financial statement schedules, (“Schedule I-Condensed Financial Information of Registrant” and “Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying Accounts”) (collectively, the consolidated financial statements). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three‐year period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, and our report dated March 1, 2021, expressed an unqualified opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Changes in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for Revenue from Contracts with Customers as of January 1, 2018 due to the adoption of Topic 606.

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has changed its method of accounting for Leases as of January 1, 2019 due to the adoption of Topic 842.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Evaluation over the recoverability of certain long-lived assets

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, long-lived assets that are held and used are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate their carrying value may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is tested by comparing the carrying amount of the assets to the future net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset, through considering project specific assumptions for long-term energy

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prices, escalated future project operating costs, and expected plant operations. An impairment loss is indicated if the total future undiscounted cash flows expected from an asset are less than its carrying value. An impairment charge is measured as the difference between the asset’s carrying value and its fair value.

We identified the evaluation of the recoverability of certain long-lived assets as a critical audit matter. Especially subjective auditor judgment was required to evaluate the long-term energy prices used in the Company’s future undiscounted cash flows. Specifically, for certain asset groups tested for recoverability, the long-term energy prices in the post contracted periods used in the determination of future undiscounted cash flows were challenging to evaluate as small changes to this assumption could have a significant effect on the Company’s assessment of the recoverability of certain long-lived assets.

The following are the primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter. We evaluated the design and tested the operating effectiveness of certain internal controls related to the Company’s process to evaluate the recoverability of long-lived assets, including selection of long-term forecasted energy prices used in the determination of future undiscounted cash flows. We involved valuation professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in evaluating the long-term energy prices determined by the Company. Specifically, the valuation professionals evaluated the long-term energy prices used by the Company by comparing them to energy price curves prepared by reputable third-party vendors that provide energy price forecasts in the applicable power markets.

(signed) KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2012.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

March 1, 2021

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CLEARWAY ENERGY, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Year ended December 31,

Operating Revenues

Operating Costs and Expenses

Depreciation, amortization and accretion 428 401 336

Impairment losses 24 33 —

General and administrative 34 29 20

Transaction and integration costs 9 3 20

Development costs 5 5 3

Total operating costs and expenses 866 808 706

Other Income (Expense)

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates 7 83 74

Impairment loss on investment (8) — —

Gain on sale of unconsolidated affiliate 49 — —

Other income, net 4 9 8

Loss on debt extinguishment (24) (16) (7)

(Loss) Income Before Income Taxes (54) (104) 116

Income tax expense (benefit) 8 (8) 62

Less: Pre-acquisition net income of Drop Down Assets — — 4

Less: Net (loss) income attributable to noncontrolling interests (87) (85) 2

Net Income (Loss) Attributable to Clearway Energy, Inc. $ 25 $ (11) $ 48

Weighted average number of Class C common shares outstanding - basic 80 74 69

Weighted average number of Class C common shares outstanding - diluted 81 74 69

Dividends Per Class A Common Share $ 1.05 $ 0.80 $ 1.258

Dividends Per Class C Common Share $ 1.05 $ 0.80 $ 1.258

.

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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CLEARWAY ENERGY, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

Year ended December 31,

(In millions)

Net (Loss) Income $ (62) $ (96) $ 54

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), net of tax

Other comprehensive income 1 7 22

Comprehensive (Loss) Income (61) (89) 76

Less: Pre-acquisition net income of Drop Down Assets — — 4

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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CLEARWAY ENERGY, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

ASSETS (In millions)

Current Assets

Cash and cash equivalents $ 268 $ 155

Accounts receivable — trade 143 116

Accounts receivable — affiliates — 2

Prepayments and other current assets 58 33

Property, plant and equipment, net 7,217 6,063

Other Assets

Equity investments in affiliates 741 1,183

Deferred income taxes 104 92

Derivative instruments 1 —

Right-of-use assets, net 337 223

Other non-current assets 114 103

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Current Liabilities

Current portion of long-term debt $ 384 $ 1,824

Accounts payable — trade 72 74

Accounts payable — affiliates 17 31

Derivative instruments 38 16

Accrued interest expense 44 41

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 79 71

Other Liabilities

Derivative instruments 135 76

Long-term lease liabilities 345 227

Other non-current liabilities 178 121

Total non-current liabilities 7,243 5,380

Commitments and Contingencies

Stockholders' Equity

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; none issued — —

Accumulated deficit (84) (72)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (14) (15)

Noncontrolling interest 890 413

Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 10,592 $ 9,700

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

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CLEARWAY ENERGY, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Year ended December 31,

Cash Flows from Operating Activities (In millions)

Net (loss) income $ (62) $ (96) $ 54

Equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates (7) (83) (74)

Distributions from unconsolidated affiliates 61 34 70

Depreciation, amortization and accretion 428 401 335

Amortization of financing costs and debt discounts 15 17 24

Amortization of intangibles and out-of-market contracts 90 71 70

Loss on debt extinguishment 24 16 7

Reduction in carrying amount of right-of-use assets 4 7 —

Gain on sale of unconsolidated affiliate (49) — —

Impairment losses 32 33 —

Change in deferred income taxes 8 (8) 62

Changes in derivative instruments 44 85 (16)

Loss on disposal of asset components 3 9 —

Cash used in changes in other working capital

Changes in prepaid and accrued liabilities for tolling agreements (1) 1 —

Changes in other working capital (45) (10) (34)

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities 545 477 498

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Partnership interest acquisition — (29) —

Acquisition of Drop Down Assets, net of cash acquired (122) (161) (126)

Buyout of Wind TE Holdco noncontrolling interest — (19) —

Cash receipts from notes receivable — — 13

Return of investment from unconsolidated affiliates 79 56 45

Investments in unconsolidated affiliates (11) (13) (34)

Proceeds from sale of assets 90 20 —

Consolidation of DGPV Holdco 3 LLC 17 — —

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities (62) (468) (185)

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

Net contributions from noncontrolling interests 247 174 91

Buyout of Repowering Partnership II LLC noncontrolling interest (70) — —

Proceeds from the issuance of common stock 62 100 153

Payments of dividends and distributions (211) (155) (238)

Proceeds from the revolving credit facility 265 152 35

Payments for the revolving credit facility (265) (152) (90)

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt 1,084 1,215 827

Payments of debt issuance costs (20) (25) (14)

Net Cash Used in Financing Activities (435) (175) (46)

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash at Beginning of Period 417 583 316

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash at End of Period $ 465 $ 417 $ 583

Supplemental Disclosures

Interest paid, net of amount capitalized $ (325) $ (313) $ (292)

Source: SEC EDGAR (public domain) · 10-K for the period ended 2020-12-31, filed 2021-03-01 · accession 0001567683-21-000009

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